My Alleged Husband

”Nai’er, this matter was Papa’s mistake. But could you consider standing in Papa’s shoes and showing some understanding? Yes, I have indeed neglected your mother recently, but it wasn’t intentional. You know there’s been a lot going on in the family during this period.”

”Some things are beyond what Papa would want to happen, but when they occur and land right before us, we have no way to avoid them. Everyone must bear the consequences of their actions. The way our family is now, it’s really not easy. Your grandpa and grandma coming back to this house is something we’ve all hoped for. We should let them live here peacefully instead of blaming everything on them whenever something happens. If that’s the case, how could they live here happily and securely? Each of us should consider their feelings—don’t you agree?”

”Papa understands that your mom’s depression has deeply upset you. It’s my negligence—my lack of care for her—that led to the situation we have now. But I truly didn’t mean for this to happen; I also hope she can live a healthy life. Who could have guessed that because I didn’t pay attention to her or reach out to her during this time, she ended up like this? I am really sorry for this!”

”Papa, if I were to handle this, you shouldn’t apologize to me. You should have a talk with Grandpa. I believe Grandpa will surely stand on Mom’s side. Nobody expected that this matter would cause her to fall ill and be hospitalized.”

”This isn’t the outcome anyone wanted. Everyone hopes for happiness and health for every member of this family. But now, things have reached this point. The person you should apologize to most isn’t me, nor am I the one who should accept your apology. It’s Grandpa that you should apologize to. You should think about how much Grandpa also cares about Mom. After all, she worked so hard to bring me into this world. Why do you all fail to think from Grandpa’s perspective about Mom’s struggles? You always only consider your own desires, building happiness on others’ suffering—can you really find peace in your hearts this way?”

Yichen felt very ashamed hearing his son’s words. He couldn’t find a single argument to refute him. The truth is, he had made a mistake. If it wasn’t for his own negligence—his coldness toward his wife—things wouldn’t have turned out like this, with her stuck in the hospital. If all of this is truly caused by him, wouldn’t he be a sinner for all eternity? How would he even begin to explain this to his Grandpa?

Deep down, Yichen understood just how much his Grandpa cared about her—this grandson’s wife—and how much he cared about whether everyone in the family could live in peace. But now, things had gotten to this point, and there was no way his Grandpa would let it slide. Perhaps he really did need to have a proper talk with Grandpa, helping him grasp the entire situation; otherwise, big trouble might arise in the end.

”Don’t worry—I’ll have a good talk with Grandpa about this. You don’t need to worry too much. This matter isn’t your fault, it’s me who let your mom down—leading to her ending up like this. If you think anything is wrong, just come to me directly. There’s no need for you to talk to your Grandpa and Grandma about anything. They wouldn’t have known that Mom would end up like this because of this situation. Everything is uncertain. After all, no one in this family would ever wish for things like this to happen to anyone.”

”Papa, just relax. Rest assured, I will never speak to Grandpa or Grandma about this, nor will I question or say anything more about it. As for how to resolve it, that’s up to you. But if the resolution ends with the second family thinking it’s unfair, then I’ll believe there’s truly no way for us to resolve anything.”

Yichen realized that his son was issuing him a warning: If he couldn’t find a way to restore things to their original state, he’d undoubtedly face punishment from Grandpa. Yichen knew Grandpa’s character too well—Grandpa would never allow any family member to be left in such a state. He could not tolerate it. But now, everything had spiraled out of control; there was no way to predict, let alone revert things to how they used to be. All Yichen could do was silently endure the danger his son posed to him. At that moment, he discovered how formidable his son truly was. If, back then, he had cared even a little more about his wife—shown her more concern in her daily life—perhaps things wouldn’t have reached this point, where his son had him by the throat, holding onto evidence of his failings as a father.

Zhang Ni said nothing further and turned to leave. He felt that what he said to his father today was already enough. He had never spoken to anyone this politely before. If these matters didn’t involve his father, he wouldn’t hesitate to bring him down. But now, he realized none of it could be meddled with lightly. These were issues between his parents—their relationship—and if their bond could stand up to any challenge, then they wouldn’t have ended up like this. He couldn’t blame anyone for how things turned out. All the pain and suffering must be borne by them. If this chaos ultimately became something they couldn’t control, then perhaps it was simply their fate to face these tribulations.

Yichen suddenly felt like he was truly an unfit husband. How could he not even know his wife had fallen ill? Why was he unwilling to put more effort into caring about her life? If he had cared just a little more, she wouldn’t have ended up acting so erratically now. Everything was caused by his negligence, and this outcome—this pain—was brought upon his own family members. What could he offer them besides hurt? He had always believed himself to be strong, capable of giving everyone in the family happiness and joy. But now, the reality had just begun to set in.